Wheeled suitcase



Aug. 9, 1949. B. H. BOOK WHEELED SUITCASE Filed Oct. 29, 1945 I u ueutor and 49 E BARNUT H. BOOK 40161;". W a Attorneys Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,478,563- I I V Y WHEELED SUITCASE Barnett H. Book, New York, N. V 7 Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 525,134,

Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in casters for luggage and the object of the invention is toprovide asnap-on roller or caster. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined guard and wheel socket which requires no vertical bore to support the wheel shank.

A further object of my invention is to provide a caster wheel havinga horizontal shank and a corner guard into which the shank may be instantly snapped.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a suitcase or the like having metal corner guards on at least six corners thereof, said guards also forming sockets into which caster wheels may be instantly snapped or removed.

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a case formed in accordance with my invention,

Figure 2 is another elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of my invention,

Figure 4 is an elevational View of a caster wheel and guard,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a guard member partially formed,

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of a shank member, broken away, and

Figure 7 is a section on line I-'I of Figure 3.

In the drawings, It indicates my invention which consists of a case II to the corners I2, I3, I4, etc., of which are fixed combination socket and guard members I5, I6, I! and I8, and to other corners common guards I8 and I9 having the same appearance of the socket guards for uniformity'of appearance. I also provide handles on the top 20, and on the end 2I of the case, the former for carrying and the latter for pushing the case as will hereinafter be explained.

The guards I5 to I8 are provided with horizontal sockets 22 which depend sufficiently below the outer surface 23 of the lower end 24 of the case II, to which the guards are fixed to receive the elongated horizontal shank tongues 25 of shank 26. The walls 21 of the guards I5 etc., are provided with slots 28 of the same width and in alignment with the sockets 22, and through which the tongues 25 are to be projected. The roller 29 is carried by a U-bearing 39, the head 3! of which is clamped to the shank 26 between the returned portion 32 and its terminal returned end 33. The said end 33 is returned in a manner to form the enlarged head '34 against which the tongue 35 struck down from the bottom wall 35 of'the guard member I8 rests whereby when the tongue 25 is projected entirely into its socket 22, thetongue'35 :will bear against the head 34 and retain'the roller 29 in place. However,-there is suflicient spring atthe bend 3'I-of the shank in order; that by pulling outwardly upon the roller the tongue 35"wil1 slide over the head 34 to permit-removal of the roller; from the case I I, where: by it may be used in the usual manner either for lugging by the handle 38 or for storage.

The socket members I5 etc., are secured to the case by rivets 41. I have provided a slot 48 in the end 49 of tongue 25 to engage a pin 50 depending from the wall 5I of the case I I, said pin having a head 52. This connection will securely hold the tongue against lateral or vertical wobbling. The wall 5I together with wall 36 of the members l5, etc., form the socket 22.

With my above described case, travelers, salesmen and others who have to carry with them cases too heavy to be conveniently carried, can

quickly attach a set of four wheels to the luggage and by use of handle 46, on the end 2|, thereof may easily roll the case along. The shortage of porters, taxicabs and other such con- Veniences seems to demand a device as above described for the benefit of the public.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details and parts such as come within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to, in actual practice, if desired.

Having now described my invention that which I claim as new and desire to procure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for movably supporting a container comprising a support plate, a horizontal socket formed in said plate, a thin flat shank bent to form a U-shaped resilient clip, one leg of said clip being detachably inserted in said socket, a U-shaped bearing having a roller secured thereto, said bearing being clamped to the other leg of said clip and means to space the roller from the plate.

2. The combination of claim 1, said means including a tongue formed in the bottom of the plate and extending downwardly therefrom to engage the leg bent around the bearing.

3. A device for movably supporting a container comprising a support plate, a horizontal socket formed therein, a transverse pin in said socket, a thin fiat shank bent to form an elongated horizontal shank tongue, an arcuate slot formed .at one end thereof, said shank tongue being adapted to be detachably inserted in said socket with the slot end engaging the transverse pin, a U-shaped bearing, a roller carriedby saipl bearing one end of the shank being clamped around the head, of the bearing, a downwardly extending tongue formed in the bottom of the plate and adapted to engage the clamp to space the roller from the plate.

4. A device for movably supportingan. object comprising a support plate secured to the object and having a socket formed therein, a pin transversely disposed in said socket, a thin flat U- shaped resilient clip having one leg thereof formed with a locking notch engageable on the pin, said notched leg being slidably disposed in said socket, the opposing leg of the clip beingbent upon itself, a castor rotatably clamped on the last named leg, a downwardly extending tongue formed on said plate and adapted to bearagainst the bent portion of the last named leg 'for spacing the castor from the plate.

5. A device for movably supporting an object comprising a support plate secured to the object and having a socket formed therein, a pin trans- '4 versely disposed in said socket, a thin fiat U- shaped resilient clip having one leg thereof formed with a locking notch engageable on the pin, said notched leg being slidably disposed in said socket, the opposing leg of the clip being bent and clamped upon a castor unit, a downwardly extending tongue formed on said plate and adapted to bear against the bent portion of the lastna med, leg for spacing the leg from the p at .BARNETT H. BOOK.

REFERENCES CITED -Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 371,116 Wood et al Oct. 4, 1887 766,500 Hatfield Aug. 2, 1904 1,413,852 Hokkanen Apr. 25,1922 1,541,280 'Replogle June 9, 1925 1,616,632 Mastrontonio Feb. 8, 1927 2,132,316 Newton Oct. 4, 1938 2,174,661 Hope et al -Oct. 3, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 252,466 Italy Mar. 19, 1927 

